Malik a possibility

Update, 1:11 p.m.: Tom Renney has moved Sean Avery back to the top line alongside Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr, with Martin Straka moving back with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. That leaves a young line of Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky, and Petr Prucha.

Update, 1 p.m.: Never mind. Malik is still out, leaving Jason Strudwick and Paul Mara in the third pairing.

Greetings from Philaldelphia, where the Rangers have won six straight and 10 of 11, and where Marek Malik might be — dare I say it? — a welcome return to the lineup.

No word yet on where Tom Renney is leaning, but the lanky one at least has the green light from the team’s medical staff to return, and given the team’s own-zone struggles the last two games, he might be a more appealing option than Jason Strudwick.

And plus, this being the Flyers, the Rangers might need Malik in his new found role as enforcer.

OK, not really.

We’ll update on the lineup later…

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Either way, today’s a big one for all the reasons I outlined yesterday, but also because the Rangers have already been surpassed by Boston in the standings (and could be even more: the Bruins play at 7).

Wildcard – I think the OT was boring back when the game could end in a tie and there was no point for an OT loss so teams wanted to get that one point instead of zero, and that was 5 on 5, in addition. I don’t think it could ever get that boring again unless they put a tie back in place, which they won’t.

Sam,
Not for nothin’ but “Whether the Rangers sense the same urgency…”!!!????

Are you kidding? What would give them any reason to sense urgency? Plenty of hockey left… and even though the teams in front of them and just trailing them have 3-4 games in hand and they haven’t played any sembalnce of consitent hockey all season…

Finally a lucky bounce for us. Dawes, Drury, Gomez on the power play with Tyutin and Girardi. I think Straka, Dubinsky, Jagr, Mara Rozsival on the “first” unit, going back to that older second unit that worked with Gomez and Drury.

I mean I guess you find a puck after the goaltender has moved in one direction to make a save… then he’s gonna be in a bit more prone of a position making it easier to get the puck behind (or underneath) him.

I know you all are going to think I am crazy but there is no doubt in my mind that Vali today, right now, is the better goaltender for the rangers. The rangers play better when he is net, he’s tall, he stands up and doesn’t give up to many rebounds. I can’t understand why fans keep saying we need a backup, we don’t. We need vali to play more games.

Is that the Flyer fans or Ranger fans booing Jagr? My guess it is more Ranger fans. He is, despite Sam’s description earlier as making a “great defensive play,” a complete liability on the ice. How much longer does Renney wait until her reduces his shifts–or least starts the real first power play team?

I don’t think you’re crazy, tomg. I just wish Renney wouldn’t be so afraid of Lundqvist to start Vally two games in a row. People talk about how he panders to Jagr, but he does it to Lundqvist now, too. Both times he has pulled Lundqvist from a game this season has been during an intermission, I believe.

My comments on the 1st:
1) Mara actually played a good tough period. Little mistake towards the end but oh well.
2) Jagr’s PP unit is worthless. Why dont they move him back to the point or something. Just terrible.
3) I had a better period sitting on my leather recliner than Hollweg did. His head looks like its up his ass.
4) Joe Mich is really a good color man. He can get annoying and whiney but he just knows his hockey. Good and smart observation about Dawes stopping. ALl the other players just skate right through. Do the NYR realize that there are no 3 second violations in hockey???
5) I dont like the “system”. With about 6 mins left Dubi was in on a forecheck, threw a hit, and the other D-Man had troible with the puck and turned it over. Problem was, there were no NYR there to retrieve it. Anyone else see this? Philly would have had a goal or close on any similar turnover. They swarm. Remember when we used to swarm?
6) Jagr sucks. Sorry guys, he just does.
7) Finally I like Straka w/ Drury. at least he provides some playmaking ability.
8) All in all a decent period. Just the fact that the puck is staying out of our own net makes me believe. The was the last two games have gone this could have been 3-1 Flyers easily.

The reason jagr looks terrible is because he doesn’t have Nylander who can stick handle the puck like it was stuck to his stick blade. Nylander would control the puck and circle down low so much and even high that more than one player would start to chase him which left jagr alone. Now without Nylander as soon as jagr gets the puck he is surrounded and he gives it up.

I don’t think it could have been 3-1 easily. Maybe 2-1, on that play where Vally threw his arms and legs out in the shape of an *X* because the Flyers announcers said he got a piece of it rather than going high, and, of course, that post, but that was really lucky. I would say it could have been 1-0 Flyers easily.

Yes are first PP unit should be the Drury’s. Jagr’s is literally a waste of precious pp time. And our number 1 line is Dubinski, Dawes and Prucha with the Drury, Callahan, Staka line a close second. The Jagr line is a distant 3rd and the 4th line is…you know already.

goalbyPrucha – Put asterisks around the word(s) that you want in bold. It’s a confusing system, but they have to be on the outside of everything, so a space has to be there on the left of the first one, and a space has to be on the right of the second one.
*Asterisks make bold.* So that you have to make asterisks outside the period or it won’t work, I believe.

Haha, Richards was asking to “let us go” when he was tied up with Avery, but the linesman said, “I’m already here.” Then Richards said he would be given a 10-minute misconduct if he didn’t stopped, then Avery did get one. Great stuff! (They have a microphone on Richards for CSN)

Avery tried to get out of the linesman’s grasp for some reason on his way to the penalty box, so I guess he figured he got shoved and showed Avery to the locker room.

Game is high-paced, Valiquette looking good, a couple nice power play goals, making the game 2-0. A line brawl (minus the goalies) erupted after Tyutin hip-checked Downie, when Downie’s skate flew up and cut the linesman.

I think Michelleti may be right that that is not Tyutin’s first fighting major. Did they confirm this?

2nd Period
1) Flyers are just a plain out dirty team. They try to hurt players. Good for Dubi and Tyutin.
2) Orr is now become a top 5 fighter in the league, no doubt.
3) Jagr really sucks. He is so bad with the puck that he shouldnt even bother taking it anymore. Oh wait, he doesnt even bother anymore, does he?
4) Mara still playing well.
5) No question the D plays tougher and harder in front of Vali. You just cant argue it.
6) The PP looks better. Point of notice, they have scored a PP goal in 8 straight road games. But wait, how do they know when to shoot without all of the amateur annoying fans telling them when to? How do they know?

There was at one time a rule if you dropped your gloves with a shield on you get an extra 2 minutes but they removed that rule. I have no respect for players who want to fight with a shield on, there cowards.

tomg – That sucks. Did they remove that before this season? I feel like it was in place last season. Players with shields should have to take off their helmet before fighting because the first goal of the person they fight has to be to take the helmet off for them. Dubinsky did a pretty good job of that but still lost the fight.

Something tells me this could be a wild third. Especially if the NYR score first. You thought the Flyers were cheap and dirty before, wait til the game is lost….. Any word on the linesman? I mean that cut could go way deep.

They said he did have a 5 FF in the past
Jagr is becoming a liability he seems to consistently cough up the puck…just an observation before all you JJ fans jump all over me.

Anyone see Orr and Renney laughing at the end of the period.
Betcha Renney’s wants Orr to teach Dubi cause he’s gonna have a quick learning curve with a few black eyes if he continues on the road he’s on.
Orr is the real deal.

Flyers are just pathetic, dirty low lifes. Richards run at Drury was so low.

I was told that was a while ago, liek before visors got popular, or just when they got popular. Still cowardly to fight with it though. Hey would nay of you be interested in a ranger chat room, so you don’t have to keep hitting refresh? there is one at: http://nyrnation.com/forum/index.php?topic=429.0

Here, here, tomg! I’m glad we are agreeing today. I don’t know what it is about Dubi, probably that he hits and scores, but I really like him and get worried he’s gonna get hurt while fighting. It’s probably also that he has my same first name and is only a year and a half older than me, so I want him to do well, for the Rangers.

Other than Hollweg our team never takes dirty runs at players. Everyone talks about Avery being the most hated player in the league but he never does that stuff. Our biggest hit of the year was an accident. I guess Id like to see us take a few more runs at some low life players but all in all id rather have a clean tough team than a bunch of cheap shits like the Flyers

Staal wart – when was that fight? Tyutin has an even number of PIM in every season, so it must have been matched up with another fight or bad penalty like boarding or kneeing, which I wouldn’t be surprised that he has received because of the way he hits. Are you sure it was a fight and not a major for something else?